1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to fish hooks in general and more specifically to a non-piercing fishing device.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Fish hooks are one of the oldest inventions made by man before the beginning of history.
For millenniums man has been improving fish hook designs, since they help to provide food on the table. Stronger materials allow sharpened points and barbs to improve the chances of a catch but disregard the well-being of the fish.
Since fishing has become more of a sport than a food providing activity, many sportsmen choose to keep only trophy size fish, while returning smaller fish to the water to avoid depletion of fisheries.
The trend of sportsmen toward catch and release has spurred the efforts of fish hook designers toward a reliable fish hook that causes less harm to the fish, which in turn improves the chances of survival of the released fish.
Examples of those efforts are "Fish Hooks with Retractable Barb" U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,624,690, 4,922,649, and many barbless fish hooks, disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,858,371, 4,570,373, 4,028,838, and 4,723,372.
Conventional barbed hooks, retractable barb hooks or barbless hooks all work by the principle of piercing the flesh and cartilage of the fish's mouth.
Sometimes the fish completely swallows the bait and is gullet-hooked rather than lip-hooked. This condition complicates the removal of the hook and may produce a serious internal injury.